A Sea of Whiteness: Teaching Sexuality through a New Sociology at a U.S. American University

Abstract

This article connects sociological analyses of race to sexuality to rethink the teaching of the sociology of sexualities. Through the use of the image of the sea, I locate whiteness as a root for the challenges in current pedagogical approaches at my institution, knowing that it is merely an example of multiple others facing similar problems at the structural level. Using autoethnography as a method to illustrate personal experiences in the classroom and the institution, I engage in two interrelated topics that structure this article. First, I explore how teaching sexualities studies from a sociological angle requires teaching about power. In the second part, I delve into how a neoliberal engagement with individualism and students’ singular social location influence the potential in students’ learning. The discussion and concluding parts propose thinking through some of the previous teaching on the sociology of sexualities to create it anew.